Is al-Kihdr living on the face of the earth?

Question

Is al-Khidr still living on the face of the earth until the present day? And will he remain alive until the Day of Resurrection?

Answer

Praise
be to Allaah.

Al-Shanqeeti said:

The stories of al-Khidr told by the
righteous are innumerable. They claim that he and Ilyaas perform Hajj each
year and they narrated du’aa’s from them, and these stories are well known
and widespread, but the basis of what they say is very weak, because most of
them are stories narrated from some of those whom they think are righteous,
or dreams and ahaadeeth that are attributed to Anas or others, but all of
them are da’eef (weak) and cannot be used to prove anything.

What seems to me to be more likely, based on
the evidence concerning this matter, is that al-Khidr is not alive, rather
he died. This is for a number of reasons:

1 – The apparent meaning of the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning)

“And We granted not to any human being
immortality before you (O Muhammad); then if you die, would they live
forever?”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:34]

2 – The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O
Allaah, if you allow this group of Muslims to be destroyed, You will not be
worshipped on earth.” (Narrated by Muslim)

3 – The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said that one hundred years after the night on which he
was speaking, none of the people who were on the face of the earth then
would still be alive. If al-Khidr had been alive at that point he would not
have remained after the hundred years mentioned. Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj said
that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allaah
SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led us in praying ‘Isha’
one night towards the end of his life, then he stood up and said: ‘Do you
see this night of yours? One hundred years from now not one of those who are
on the face of the earth now will remain.” Ibn ‘Umar said: “The people did
not understand these words of the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they said that this meant that the Day
of Resurrection would come after one hundred years. The Prophet SAWS (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘not one of those who are on the
face of the earth now will remain’ meaning that that generation would pass
away.”

4 – If al-Khidr had lived until the time of
the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he would have
followed him, supported him and fought alongside him, because he was sent to
the two races of jinn and mankind.